1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to a system and method for navigating through graphical images. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for scrolling through thumbnail images while maintaining a view of a larger master image.
2. Description of the Related Art
Graphical navigation is increasing in popularity due to increased Internet connection speeds and increased processing ability of personal computers. Users retrieve many types of graphical images for viewing from the Internet, such and digital images and video clips and store them on personal computers.
A business web page or a user's personal file may include many graphical images. Thumbnail images are used in navigation applications in order to display many images concurrently. Thumbnail is a term used by graphic designers and photographers for a small image representation of a larger image, usually intended to make it easier and faster to look at or manage a group of larger images. For example, software that provides management of a multiple images often provides a miniaturized version of each image for use as a thumbnail.
Web sites with many pictures, such as online stores with visual catalogs, often provide thumbnail images instead of larger images to make the page download faster. The user controls which images to view in full size. A user can view the thumbnails and decide to download and display a larger image of any of the thumbnails by selecting the desired thumbnail image(s).
Thumbnails may also be a cropped to show interesting portion of a larger image, rather than simply reducing the entire image. Depending upon the subject matter and size of the thumbnail, cropping an image to show an interesting portion may be an effective sales tool.
A challenge found with existing navigation applications is that navigation applications do not retain the view of the non-selected thumbnail images when the larger, selected image is displayed. Navigation applications may cover up the non-selected thumbnail images with a new window that includes a larger image of the selected thumbnail image. Or, navigation applications may display a larger image of the selected thumbnail image using the same navigation window in which case the user selects the “Back” button on the navigation application to return to the non-selected thumbnails. What is needed, therefore, is a way to view a larger selected thumbnail image while effectively retaining the view of the non-selected thumbnail images.